MIAMI (AP) — John Timoney, who rose to second in command of the New York Police Department before serving stints as police chief in Philadelphia and Miami, has died of lung cancer. He was 68.

Timoney was Miami’s chief from 2003 until 2010 when he was forced from office following some political upheaval. The Miami Herald (http://hrld.us/2bAWvyh ) reports Timoney spent several years doing consulting work — much of it in the Middle East — before returning to Miami for treatment.

Former Miami Mayor Manny Diaz says Timoney’s health had seemed to improve recently. He says hiring Timoney as police chief was “the best decision” he ever made.

Delish Moss, a former Miami major who recently became chief in Ferguson, Missouri, says he owes much of his career advancement to Timoney, who took Miami’s police department “leaps and bounds forward.”